A tool path is the path that a tool may traverse to perform an operation on an object. For example, a tool path may be the path that a deburring tool moves along a work piece edge and in contact with the contour of the work piece to be deburred. A tool path may comprise a series of points. Each point may correspond to a position within a reference coordinate system of the tool.
According to most robotic applications such as deburring or grinding, machining tools are required to contact directly with the work pieces to be processed. As shown in FIG. 1, normally a single contact point or a circle of fixed contact points of a tool are programmed to move through a predetermined tool path(“normal tool path”) during the machining process. Since the tool always contacts the work pieces by one or several fixed contact points, it gets abrasive and worn quickly and the life of the tool will also be shortened.